The first annual DSC Convocation Oct. 4–7 will include a Market Place, an opportunity for promoters of preaching, justice, young adult groups, eco-farmers, artists, bakers, booksellers and other special groups or vendors to promote their programs, products or services. Download Market Place application form (MS Word document). Download Market Place flyer (PDF)

Dominican Sisters ConferenceConvocation registration underway

Register now for the first annual Dominican Sisters Conference (DSC) Convocation Oct. 4–7 at the Westin Hotel in Wheeling, Illinois! Speakers Timothy Radcliffe, OP and Judi Neal will address the theme “Edge Walkers: Unfolding the Fertile Unknown.” The convocation will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, and will close Sunday, Oct. 7 at noon. To download registration materials (PDF 1.6 MB), click on the graphic or click here.

Houston DominicansDominican Family Day of Service

On Saturday, Feb. 25, members of the Dominican Family in Houston, Texas engaged in a day of service. Volunteers had the opportunity to visit Angela House, engage in outreach to day laborers, learn more about the death penalty abolition movement, and/or assist with “spring cleaning” of the meditation gardens on the grounds of the Dominican Sisters of Houston. Read more

Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
Register for summer sessions in April

Whether you are interested in academic or continuing education credit or personal enrichment, Summer Session at DSPT is a great opportunity to further your education and take courses from professors visiting from abroad. This year, DSPT is offering courses in Mosaics, Iconography, Spirituality (professor from Angelicum, Rome) and Pauline Soteriology (professor from Ecole Biblique, Jerusalem) and Apocalypse. Read more

Good FridayJoin Houston sisters in Walk for Justice April 6

Join members of the Dominican Sisters of Houston justice and peace community in a Good Friday Walk for Justice on April 6. Please meet at noon at City Hall in downtown Houston. As we walk the traditional Stations of the Cross, we look to Jesus to help us reconcile the evil in ourselves and our world with his way of justice and nonviolence. The Dominican Sisters will be leading Station 3. For information contact Sister Ceil Roeger, OP, croeger@domhou.org.

Dominican Province of St. JosephFriars describe how they were called to religious life

Br. Louis Bertrand Lemoine, OP grew up in rural Louisiana and studied philosophy at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Br. Dominic Verner, OP, entered the Order of Preachers in 2010. He is a graduate of Purdue University, where he studied electrical engineering. Listen to their stories as they share them through video. From Dominican Daily

Nuns in the NewsPolish nun becomes U.S. citizen

Dominican Sister of the Immaculate Conception Joachim Celinska, OP, came to the United States in 2000 and recently became a naturalized citizen. She and another sister serve the Polish community in Mountain Home, Arkansas, ministering to the sick and teaching religious education. Read story in Arkansas Catholic

MaryknollCentennial events: Interfaith Prayer Service March 25

Members of at least eight distinct faith groups, including Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Presbyterian, Episcopal, the Bruderhof and Roman Catholic, will convene for an Interfaith Harmony Prayer Service on Sunday, March 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Annunciation Chapel in Ossining, New York. The service, sponsored jointly by the Maryknoll Sisters, Fathers and Brothers, in conjunction with their centennial celebrations, is open to the public and will also be streamed live on the Maryknoll Sisters web site. Read more

International NewsAustralian sister honored as ambassador

Dominican Sister Diana Santleben was one of 40 Australians to receive a Prime Ministerial “People of Australia Ambassador” Award in January. She was honored for “her contribution to the community through her advocacy and support for refugees, and for her environmental work.” Read interview with Sister Diana on CathNews.com

Books
Catherine of Siena: An Anthology

This two-volume work, translated by Sister Suzanne Noffke, OP, is now available from the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS). Thirty years in the making, the anthology draws from all of the writings of Catherine of Siena, including letters, dialogue and prayers. Read more

Faith and Film
A Separation

“A Separation” just won the Oscar for best foreign language film. It is the first Iranian film to be so honored. This domestic drama has received widespread critical acclaim for its unique glimpse at family life in Iran. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Photos of the Week

Springfield Dominican Sister Jean Patrick Ehrhardt, OP, got her first St. Patrick's Day button at age 12 and has been building her collection ever since. She says she loves St. Patrick’s Day for two reasons: she inherited her aunt's enthusiasm for the holiday, and her birthday is the very next day, March 18. She celebrated her 78th birthday this year.

Sister Jean Patrick ministered primarily in elementary education as a teacher and principal in Catholic schools in Illinois, Minnesota and California. She currently ministers in transportation for the sisters at Sacred Heart Convent in Springfield. She began dressing up more than 20 years ago, when she was an elementary school principal in East Moline, Illinois, and she and her fourth grade class were asked to be in the St. Patrick's Day parade. She has been in several parades since then (including parades in St. Louis, Missouri; Duluth, Minnesota; and San Diego, California).

This week marks the 19th year of World Water Day. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development designated this day as an annual international event focusing on the importance of sustaining and managing fresh water resources (from the USDA Blog).

Summer at The Mount is an opportunity for boys and girls to strengthen their math and writing skills, explore the arts or develop leadership skills in a fun, relaxed atmosphere under the guidance of experienced teachers from Mount Saint Dominic Academy. This year, The Mount is proud to host the New Jersey Summer Theatre Workshop, which offers musical theatre intensive programs for middle school and high school students. All courses are held at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, New Jersey.